Gorvic
Back to Cultures *Government: In the east people live under dukes in large towns, most of which are agriculturally based or rely on a timber industry for income. In the west people live under a king or queen who controls a large section of land, the remainder of the realms are often ruled by powerful dukes. *Caste or Class: Most societies have lower classes, upper classes and a small merchant based middle class. Furthermore a second system based around peasants, nobles and clergy exists in regions where the faith allows. The upper classes or nobility in the region are generally regarded by outsiders as weak or lowly and they often lack the same military might as neighbouring rulers. *'Slavery:' Slavery is illegal in part in the Gothiric realms. It is illegal to take a slave, however, to trade them is legal. this has resulted in many nobles purchasing slaves from passing caravans from the far south, keeping them as bed warmers or servants. Slaves tend to be expensive this far into a caravans journey and only the lowliest and most unhealthy slaves are left to be purchased by this time. *Languages'': '' In the East Rivelsing is spoken as the dominant language, New Tolliran is spoken by traders coming east however, and Athidonian is spoken widely in the southern towns. The Folkr language of Greenspeak is also present, but very few can speak it fluently, it once was very common and a reminder of this can easily be seen in the prefix before every town name. In the West New Tolliran is spoken as the dominant language in the west, Rivelsing and Greenspeak are not spoken in any regard and Athidonian has spread to a noticible extent into the Gothiran Kingdom of Henimr. *Education and Writing: Education is generally exclusive to the nobility and the clergy; however, training in specific trades are accessible to the majority of society, so long as they can afford to pay. The clergy accept members from all sections of society, this often results in many arriving without formal education and even more arriving illiterate. Roughly 70% of the population is illiterate. *Narcotics, Crime and Punishment: Crime is commonplace in almost every major city, pickpockets thrive in the tightly packed towns and the long open roads are plagued with robbers. In recent years the drug Whiteweed has begun arrive in the south from the Athidonian Empire, however it has yet to pass into some of the more northern towns. Crime is often punished with prison time, however more severe crimes can result in the loss of a finger (thievery) or even death (armed robbery). *Currency: The Tollinr yome is the dominant currency in the region, but raw gold or silver is also widely accepted. *Food: *Alcohal: Alcoholic drinks produced in some of the more western towns and drinks like Salemr Beer, Alsa Beer and Maer Mead are renowned from Rifgard in the north to Vohasa in the south. *Warfare: War between the the duchies in the east is often fought with small militia armies be raised (no more than a thousand), they are almost exclusively infantry with only commanders being mounted. A duke or king is often the highest ranking commander with lesser ones being appointed by him. Western armies are often largely militia with roughly one thousand to two thousand civilians being drafted into an army at the start of warfare. All of the kings in the west have a standing army of about three hundred to a five hundred men, made up of household guards. Dukes also can raise a smaller army of about two hundred proper soldiers with nearly four hundred militia. *Armor & Weapons: Leather and mail are the only types of armour used in the region, with plate or cloth being either to expensive or ineffective to be considered. Spears and axes are the most common melee weapons due to their easy production and their ability to be used effectively by almost anyone with little skill or training. The crossbow is also fairly common and most farmers own their own so as to defend their farms from wolves or bandits. *Clothing: Cloth or leather is the most common type of clothing worn in the region. Wealthier men tend to wear large cloth hats with feathers protruding from them, whereas women wear short brightly coloured dresses that end just below the knees. Boots are worn by all. Children (of both genders) often wear easily made neutral coloured tunics. *Hair: Men are expected to keep their hair and facial hair short or shaven, however younger men often grow their hair long with braid as a sign of rebellion against their elders. Women are expected to keep their hair no longer or shorter than shoulder length, or in a tightly bound braid. Boys often have their heads trimmed by their parents to be very short, whereas girls hair is often trimmed to be a few inches longer than an female adult. *Brown hair is the most common hair colouring amongst the population however a small minority are blonde. Blonde hair is seen by many as lucky and is a sign of an ancestral connection with the Folkri Wildmen to the west in Folkar forest. *Gender & Sexuality: In Gothiran culture men are often seen as the dominant gender in society, often taking on the roles of authority, warriors etc. Despite this women can technically hold any position a man can, however, this is a rarity and in reality very few women hold any position of authority. Homo/Bisexuality is shunned and discouraged by the faith, it is recognized as a crime. *Architecture & Design: Architecture in the culture is often built out of wood or stone with thatch roofing. Rooms are often small, even amongst the nobility; with very little furniture that is often built of carved and engraved wood.